Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

With Clark's personal involvement, the US artillery battalion near the east bank of the North Han River quickly drove to the battlefield.

The artillery fire arrived, the supplies arrived, and the new recruits arrived. Li Zhengyuan felt that he was now terrifyingly strong.

"The Siren has high hopes for us; we must fight with the spirit and fighting spirit of the Southern Army!"

"I have decided to launch a full-scale counterattack immediately! The 33rd and 37th Regiments will attack the enemy's Hill 973 simultaneously!"

Li Zhengyuan slapped his palm on the location of Hill 973 on the map.

He failed to capture both hills at the same time, but he refused to believe that with two regiments of troops, he couldn't take Hill 973.

Two regiments against one battalion, the advantage is on my side!
In the morning, following Li Zhengyuan's orders, two regiments deployed four battalions to launch an attack on Hill 973 from the left and right flanks.

From the 33rd Regiment's direction, the 1st Battalion is responsible for the frontal attack, while the 3rd Battalion charges along the ridge.

As for the 2nd Battalion, not all the previously routed soldiers had been gathered, so they could only serve as a reserve force.

It has to be said that the 3rd Battalion of the 33rd Regiment was probably the most capable unit under Li Zhengyuan's command at this time.

Although they were betrayed by the 2nd Battalion yesterday, after receiving a large number of new recruits, they still showed the fearless spirit of young calves.

However, the fact that the 3rd Battalion was a newborn calf does not mean that the 1st Battalion was also a newborn calf.

Less than 10 minutes later, the 3rd Battalion Commander received the report.

"Battalion Commander, something terrible has happened! The 1st Battalion's suicide squad has been completely wiped out!"

At this moment, the 3rd Battalion Commander had not yet realized the problem. Instead, he said casually, "If the suicide squad is wiped out, so be it. The 1st Battalion can replenish them at any time. Don't worry."

"there is none left!"

"What's missing?"

"The First Battalion is gone!"

"The First Battalion is gone?!" The Third Battalion Commander's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

"The First Battalion sent the suicide squad to launch the attack, but their main force only provided fire support from the rear and did not push forward with any troops."

"After the suicide squad was wiped out, the remaining soldiers all ran away."

Upon hearing the report, the 3rd Battalion Commander was stunned.

There was only one battalion of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army on Hill 973. It was a 4-on-1 situation, and they still didn't dare to fight.

However, he immediately realized that regardless of what was going on with the 1st Battalion, his 3rd Battalion was definitely in trouble.

With the same recipe and the same taste as before, the Chinese People's Volunteer Army has definitely surrounded him.

"Quickly! Request permission from higher command to have artillery bombard our flanks immediately to cover the troop retreat!"

"I'll call the regimental commander right away."

"What, what regimental commander! Just call the division headquarters!"

The military situation is extremely urgent; reporting it up the chain of command at this time would be tantamount to suicide.

"Tell the artillery to bomb with confidence. There are absolutely no friendly forces on our flanks. If we bomb too late, we may not even have a chance to retreat."

"Yes!"

Under the cover of artillery fire, the 3rd Battalion of the 33rd Regiment retreated in disarray.

Once back in a safe position, the 3rd Battalion Commander rushed to the 1st Battalion, wanting to fight with the 1st Battalion Commander.

However, the 3rd Battalion Commander, who wanted to make a move, did not punch the 1st Battalion Commander in the face; instead, he was restrained by others.

While the 3rd Battalion Commander was cursing wildly and kicking his legs, the 1st Battalion Commander remained calm.

"Battalion Commander, I know why you're so angry, but I have to tell you, it's not my fault."

"If you want to complain, complain about the 37th Regiment. If that doesn't work, complain about Division Commander Li or Commander-in-Chief Clark!"

"The 37th Regiment didn't launch any attack at all, and I couldn't possibly send my soldiers to their deaths!"

The battalion commander was stunned: "What did you say?"

"I received information that the 37th Regiment did not launch the attack as planned. Their reason was that they were in the process of rotating troops and could not attack."

"But their rotation started at 7 a.m. and it still hasn't ended."

"In other words, our 33rd Regiment was used as a human shield by the 5th Division."

The 3rd Battalion Commander, who had been so aggressive just moments before, was now completely dumbfounded.

It turns out that only their own 3rd Battalion was attacking from beginning to end!

Inside the 5th Division headquarters in the south, Li Zhengyuan felt a bit suffocated looking at Hill 973.

Li Zhengyuan was very annoyed by the fact that the 37th Regiment's shift change was from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

However, he did not take any punitive measures against the 37th Regiment.

After all, although the 37th Regiment did not launch an attack, they preserved a significant amount of manpower for the 5th Southern Division.

The attack failed again, and Li Zhengyuan was already considering retreating to the other side of the river.

But he and Clark had already broken their promise, so now they had to grit their teeth and hold on in the east of the North Han River.

Seeing through Li Zhengyuan's thoughts, the chief of staff stepped forward and whispered, "Sir, anyway, they only mentioned a counterattack before, not the scale."

"I suggest that we should mainly use artillery and small-scale infantry harassment to ensure the continuation of the offensive."

"The main force of the 5th Division in the south can replenish and rest while continuing to request support."

"That's all we can do now." Li Zhengyuan breathed a sigh of relief after making the decision.

"Maintain a standoff with the Chinese People's Volunteer Army first, and then look for an opportunity to counterattack after our combat strength has been strengthened."

"The 5th Division of the South has suspended its offensive. All they do every day is fire artillery and beat gongs. I think we should just charge down the mountain and wipe them out in one fell swoop!"

Kong Jie said he hadn't had enough of the game yet and wanted to wipe out his opponent in one go.

Chen Chengxing waved his hand and said, "Old Kong, you not only can't launch a forced attack now, you also have to postpone your offensive."

"Our goal is not just to occupy positions, but more importantly, to mobilize and kill a large number of enemy troops in the early stages, so as to create favorable conditions for the final encirclement."

"If you attack down the mountain now, you can indeed crush the Southern 5th Division, but it will be difficult to annihilate it completely. Moreover, once the Southern 5th Division retreats to Henan, it will be much harder for Army A to make a move."

"Now we should turn our guns around and teach the Confederates a lesson in what it means to fight a war."

"Old Ding, it's up to you now." Chen Chengxing pointed at the map.

"Take Zuozidong South Mountain to draw the enemy's attention and give the 5th Southern Division a chance to reinforce."

Hearing that it was finally his turn, Ding Wei beamed with joy.

"Don't worry, I've already made plans, and Army A has been waiting impatiently for a long time."

He has handed over all of Army A's forward positions to the reinforced Volunteer Army Reserve Division, and Army A's three divisions and 24 detachments have moved to their designated positions.

Chen Chengxing nodded: "The artillery and tanks are all in place, but I must remind you, be careful not to hit their heads."

"Our objective against the 8th Division of the South remains to inflict casualties on its personnel."

"We must squeeze them into the North Han River, and make them and the South 5th Division a pair of desperate lovers."

“I understand.” Ding Wei nodded. “My plan is to strike the enemy using tactics of multiple advances, infiltration and encirclement.”

"I don't care how we fight," Chen Chengxing said. "I only want the 8th Division in the South."

At 9 p.m., Ding Wei officially launched his attack.

308 artillery pieces of various types, including a rocket artillery battalion, carried out a comprehensive attack on Zuozidong South Mountain.

The fierce artillery fire blasted all the fortifications, barbed wire, and minefields that the 8th Division had built in advance into the sky.

Ten minutes later, the shelling suddenly stopped, and thousands of soldiers stood up from more than a hundred meters away from the 8th Division's position.

As early as when the C army captured Hill 883, Ding Wei had already made arrangements, and the soldiers had been lying in ambush there for a whole day.

Half an hour later, the main force of the 11th Regiment stormed up the south mountain of Zuozidong and successfully recaptured the No. 3 position.

Subsequently, the 5th Company broke away from the attacking force and advanced straight down the gully to position number 5.

另一边的12团、13团也分别收复了2号、4号、6号这三个阵地。

Gao Dacheng, commander of the 8th Division of the South, was utterly dismayed as he watched the unstoppable advance of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army.

During the day, he was mocking the 5th Division of the South, but who would have thought that he would be the one to suffer that night.

Because of time constraints, the Chinese People's Volunteer Army voluntarily stopped its offensive after capturing the ridgeline of Zuozidong South Mountain; otherwise, the 8th Division of the South Division might have been driven directly out of the position.

After much discussion, Gao Dacheng finally decided to launch the attack at dawn; retreating without a fight was simply not a reasonable course of action.

At 5 a.m., the 8th Division of the South dispatched two artillery battalions, 12 tanks, and more than a dozen aircraft to repeatedly bombard the Chinese People's Volunteer Army.

After the artillery finished bombarding the infantry, they attacked upwards. If they couldn't take the position, they continued bombarding.

Throughout the morning, the 8th Division of the South fired thousands of shells, but the infantry did not even get close to the position, let alone take it.

At noon, seeing his troops being bombarded again by the Volunteer Army, Gao Dacheng gave up.

"Send the order to disband and rest, and have a meal first."

"Sir, the 3rd Battalion has finished eating and can take over from the 2nd Battalion to continue the attack."

Gao Dacheng shook his head: "The enemy's artillery fire is several times that of ours. Even with air support, it will be of no use."

"I have decided to halt the offensive and switch the entire army to defense."

"You're thinking too simply. Do you think the South Korean army can just attack and stop whenever they want?" "You need to understand, the Chinese People's Volunteer Army is now in control of the battlefield!"

Ding Wei slammed his fist on the table and ordered, "Have the 11th Regiment get ready. After dark, immediately send out a reinforced company to outflank the enemy at Longhu Cave and cut off their rear."

"All artillery should be aimed at the riverside line along Longhu Cave, ready to cut off the Southern Army's retreat."

Unlike Army C, Army A doesn't need to wait for the enemy to band together.

The South Korean 8th Division was already assembled and positioned in the middle of the South Korean army's formation, so there were no other reinforcements to support them.

Upon receiving the order, the 7th Company of the 11th Regiment set off immediately after dark, just as the American reconnaissance plane returned, in order to block the 8th Division of the South as quickly as possible.

Even though the 7th Company rushed as fast as it could on the road, it still couldn't stop the 8th Division from the south.

When they arrived at Longhu Cave, there was no one there at all.

All that was left for the 7th Company was a scene of devastation.

Gao Dacheng had already led his troops across the river and fled at 3 p.m.

Upon learning that the 8th Southern Division had fled ahead of schedule, Chen Chengxing looked regretful: "That's over ten thousand Southern soldiers, just like that, they ran away."

"Damn it, all we were thinking about was how to take down the Southern 8th Division in one go, but we didn't expect them to run away without even fighting."

Ding Wei looked regretful; he had mobilized a large group, only to find that they had come up empty-handed.

After a battle, only a few hundred enemy soldiers were wiped out, which made Ding Wei feel that he was somewhat inferior in front of Chen Chengxing, Li Yunlong, and Kong Jie.

"Forget it," Chen Chengxing comforted them. "Although the 8th Division of the South has retreated to the other side of the river, it has not continued to retreat. We still have a chance. As long as nothing goes wrong during the general offensive, we will wipe them out sooner or later."

Ding Wei gritted his teeth and said, "Next time, I will definitely not let any of them go!"

Now that the 8th Division of the South had already fled, Chen Chengxing no longer focused his attention on them and instead turned his attention to Kong Jie.

"Old Kong, how's the situation with the 5th Division in the South?"

"According to the latest reconnaissance, they have added more than 2,000 new recruits in the past two days, but the 33rd Regiment shows signs of assembling."

"Assembling? It seems they're handing over their positions and leaving the Southern 5th Division."

"You think you can just leave after you've come? Dream on!"

Chen Chengxing decided to turn around and attack Hill 949 on the east bank of the North Han River again.

At this point, the South Korean army on the east bank of the North Han River had reached the maximum strength and firepower. If they had waited two more days, the 33rd Regiment might have broken away from the South Korean 5th Division.

In order to wipe out the Southern 5th Division in one fell swoop, Chen Chengxing had already dispatched a special operations brigade in advance.

Wei Dayong led two companies deep behind enemy lines. Their mission was to destroy the bridge over the North Han River and cut off the retreat route of the South 5th Division.

If the 5th Division of the South wanted to flee south like the 8th Division of the South, they would only face certain death.

At dawn on the 13th, the 4th Division, which was in charge of the main attack, once again secretly hid more than 2,000 people 200 meters away from the enemy's position.

At 8 p.m. on the 14th, hundreds of artillery pieces launched a barrage of fire on the enemy positions.

Last time, the artillery units extended back and forth several times before the infantry could actually launch an attack. This time, the infantry practically stepped on the extended artillery shells to launch the assault.

Moreover, the attacking force changed its previous flanking formation and chose to strike directly at the heart of the enemy along the mountain ridge.

Inside the 5th Division headquarters in the south, Li Zhengyuan rushed to the binoculars the moment he heard the artillery fire from the Chinese People's Volunteer Army.

"Artillery, get ready. As soon as the Volunteer Army's artillery fire begins to extend, immediately cover the forests on both sides of the mountains where the Volunteer Army may outflank or launch a flanking attack."

"The 38th Regiment is now preparing to provide support to the 36th Regiment at any time."

Based on Li Zhengyuan's many years of experience, as long as the enemy's first wave of attacks can be blocked, the rest will be easier.

As the artillery fire of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army began to extend, the artillery of the South Korean Army also began to retaliate.

Flames soared into the sky on both sides of the square mountain directly opposite Hill 949.

Seeing the intense artillery fire, Li Zhengyuan felt half relieved.

"With such powerful artillery fire, the attacking forces of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army would probably suffer more than half of their casualties. Even if the number were less, the casualties would certainly not be less than one-third."

"The 36th Regiment's position is secure."

Li Zhengyuan felt that no matter what, the 36th Regiment could easily get through tonight.

When dawn breaks, the 5th Division of the South will have more options.

However, just 20 minutes later, the chief of staff's words shattered Li Zhengyuan's hopes.

"Sir, several positions on Hill 949 have been captured by the Chinese People's Volunteer Army, and the 36th Regiment is in retreat. We request immediate support."

"Why so fast?!"

"According to the report from the commander of the 36th Regiment, the enemy's offensive is extremely fierce. They are charging forward despite being under heavy fire and stepping over corpses."

"The 36th Regiment is now completely disoriented. We must send reinforcements immediately, otherwise the entire position will soon fall into enemy hands."

"Provide immediate support!" Li Zhengyuan affirmed.

"Although the Volunteer Army launched a fierce offensive, the 36th Regiment did not suffer heavy casualties. As long as we held our ground, we could switch from defense to offense at any time."

"Moreover, even if Hill 949 falls, we can retreat to the south bank of the North Han River at any time."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Li Zhengyuan heard several loud explosions, and then a staff officer put down the phone and rushed over.

"Sir! The North Han River Bridge has been attacked and the bridge deck has been destroyed!"

Li Zhengyuan's heart skipped a beat, but he immediately shouted:
"Don't panic! The engineers have already set up four pontoon bridges across the river. As long as we abandon our heavy weapons, we can easily retreat to the other side!"

The pontoon bridge erected by the engineering battalion is a pedestrian pontoon bridge, which cannot be used for heavy weapons such as heavy artillery. However, when it comes to escaping for one's life, these weapons are not important, as Busan still has plenty of supplies.

After hearing Li Zhengyuan's words, the South 5th Division command post, which had just been somewhat agitated, gradually calmed down.

As long as there's still a bridge, no matter what, the officers in their command post will definitely be the first to retreat.

However, their excitement didn't last even a minute before the operations staff rushed up to Li Zhengyuan one after another.

"The engineers report that they have been attacked by enemy forces and the pontoon bridge has been completely destroyed!"

"Report! Reports are coming to the division headquarters from all directions. They are under attack by the main force of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army. According to the reports from various units, the strength of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army has reached 5 divisions!"

"Damn it!" Li Zhengyuan's expression changed drastically. If this was true, he might die here.

"Retreat! All troops retreat!"

"Order the 33rd Regiment to block the Volunteer Army's offensive, and the remaining troops to set up a defensive line on the second line to buy time to support the 33rd Regiment."

"The engineering battalion is to rebuild the pontoon bridge as quickly as possible to open up an evacuation route!"

"Yes, sir!"

According to Li Zhengyuan's estimate, the 5th Division of the South could still withdraw at a leisurely pace, as long as the 33rd Regiment could hold out until dawn, which was not a difficult problem.

However, to Li Zhengyuan's surprise, it was the 33rd Regiment that shattered his perfect plan.

Even before receiving the order to establish a defensive line, the 33rd Regiment had already collapsed, and everyone was scattering and fleeing.

At this moment, the three divisions of Army B were launching a final encirclement and suppression operation against the 5th Division in the south from the east, north, and west.

Upon learning of this situation, Li Zhengyuan became so anxious that blisters appeared on the corners of his mouth.

“33团、37团立刻随师部撤到南岸，36团、38团撤向659高地掩护，等炮兵重新建立阵地后会火力接应他们后撤。”

"The engineering battalion has built a pontoon bridge. This bridge must be saved no matter what! We will blow up the bridge to stop the Chinese People's Volunteer Army's pursuit after all the troops have withdrawn."

The arrangement of Li Zhengyuan's phased withdrawal is perfectly fine.

If the various units of the 5th Division in the South can strictly follow orders, the 36th and 38th Regiments in the South will at most pay a heavy price, but they can still withdraw.

However, all the Southern Army troops were already running around like wild donkeys.

They only heard two words from Li Zhengyuan's battle orders.

Blow up the bridge!

Moreover, the task of blowing up the bridge was carried out by the division's guard company, which was the first to reach the south bank.

The 5th Division headquarters had just crossed the river when a loud explosion blew the pontoon bridge to smithereens. It was even more devastating than the damage caused by Wei Dayong's men, and there was no point in repairing it.

All the soldiers of the 5th Southern Division were left inside the encirclement.

Along with them, the cannons reinforced by Clark were also surrounded.

Witnessing their only escape route being cut off, the Southern soldiers went insane.

Countless people chose to jump into the river on the spot, trying to swim across the North Han River.

Everything usable in the camp was used as a life preserver, and fights broke out over a rubber mat or a piece of wood.

A large number of Southern soldiers drowned in the river.

"Commander, B Army reports that the battle is over. They killed over 8,000 enemy soldiers, captured over 200, and seized 53 artillery pieces, 5 tanks, 68 trucks, and countless guns and ammunition."

"A large number of Southern soldiers were swept away by the river, the exact number is unknown."

"it is good!"

Chen Chengxing didn't care at all how many enemies were swept away by the river; as long as they were dead, that was enough.

"By taking down the 5th Division of the South, Army B has cut off all communication between the South Army forces, and the South Army forces in the Yincheng area have been isolated."

"Next, we can eat however we want."

(End of this chapter)